Otherworld Bone Dragon Operation Guide

Chapter 155 The Landing of the Serious Ship
If I remember correctly, the church in this painting is the Cathedral of St. Lan, the main church of the Church of the Holy Light, and the statue floating beneath the dome is—

"Hey!" he demanded of the former saint, pointing at the contents of the large pot. "Could this be the Gospel Father?!"

Zijin glanced over here. "It was indeed something I took from the St. Lan Cathedral when I left the Temple Academy. It's a pity it was just a showpiece; all my hopes were dashed."

"Wait!" Su Ming wouldn't allow her to skip this easily. "Please explain in detail!"

"At that time, I was still Saint Elisa, and my health deteriorated severely, forcing me to leave the temple." Violet replied telepathically, some information needed to be kept from others. "I thought this thing must contain many rare materials that could help heal me, so I came up with a plan—"

“I’m not asking about the details of the theft,” Su Ming interrupted. “I’m asking why you said it was just for show?”

"The Godfather of the Gospel can levitate out of thin air without any magic, producing holy water that blesses all beings and holy mist that uplifts the soul," Qi Luo said. "It has also received divine inspiration and can answer questions for believers and spread the gospel."

As Qiluo spoke, she examined the statue, even poking the hole in it, but there was no response. She tapped it and discovered that it was hollow inside. "This really doesn't look real!"

“When I stole it, I found that it was suspended from the church dome by a thin, transparent rope,” Violet said. “I had a bad feeling about it then. After I got back, I studied it for a long time, but no matter what I did, it couldn’t produce water or mist. I prayed to it and recited prayers, but there was no response.”

"Could it be that it was originally 'floating' because of the rope?" Su Ming asked.

“The Gospel Father is the temple’s symbol. The Church of Light invites celebrities from all walks of life to its grand events, including many top-level experts. It’s impossible to be deceived,” Qi Luo replied. “My mother took me to see it once. It can indeed levitate without any magical power, and the water and holy mist it produces don’t rely on magic either. Hmm, the St. Lan Cathedral hadn’t been destroyed yet, and many of the paintings were genuine. It was amazing!”

Upon hearing that St. Lan's Cathedral had been destroyed, Su Ming reflexively looked at Zi Jin, who unsurprisingly turned her head away.

Hansfield proposed a conjecture: "The real Gospel Father is so precious that when the Temple of Light is not holding grand events, they hang a fake in his place?"

That's certainly possible, and these alchemical creations also require regular maintenance, Su Ming pondered.

“I’ve analyzed it carefully. Almost all the runes on the statue are for aesthetic purposes and sound penetration. None of them involve water creation, spirit enhancement, or levitation,” Zijin said.

"Then why would the Pope write you a secret letter offering 300,000 gold coins to redeem it?" Su Ming asked.

"I suspect I've been framed," the former saintess gritted her teeth. "It's probably some bastard who saw an opportunity, took the real item, and then pinned the blame on me!"

Stealing a fake is bad enough, but being framed for it is incredibly frustrating. And to make matters worse, Zijin doesn't even know who to hold accountable.

"Well, there's nothing we can do about it. There's no way to clear this up." Su Ming also expressed his helplessness.

The unicorn lifted the statue and pressed it into the pickle jar, finding it quite beautiful. The entire jar was bathed in a sacred glow, elevating the quality of the pickles.

"This will be my personal pickling stone from now on!" she announced excitedly. "In a few days, please enjoy my gospel pickled cucumbers!"

Everyone continued with their work, while Su Ming stood in front of the statue for a while. He compared it to the textbook cover, and indeed it was exactly the same as the statue in front of him, with meticulous attention to every detail.

The dripping water and diffused mist in the image look somewhat like a container filled with dry ice. However, the white vapor emitted by dry ice is carbon dioxide and has no invigorating effect.

Too high a concentration can even cause suffocation.

Su Ming put away the book and turned around when a thought suddenly popped into his mind—the air that makes people feel refreshed is not entirely absent.

He turned to look at the statue on the pickle jar and murmured, "If it's something like that, then...it's truly astonishing!"

****
With the continuous arrival of spare parts, the reinforcement of the steam locomotive's power system was completed. After a successful test run and some minor adjustments, it finally started operating normally.

The White Triangle then began to dock. Violet used magic to propel the ship along the chosen tidal channel into the mudflats, proceeding along the remaining narrow waterways frozen over, and soon arrived at a secluded bay.

The scholars smoothed the edges of the ice into gentle slopes, and Su Ming also flattened the bottom of the White Triangle before it was rammed. Amidst the sounds of impact and flying ice shards, the bone ship ran aground on the ice.

This was the first time Su Ming had descended onto the surface of the Northern Continent. This vast expanse of mudflats was completely covered in white, with thick ice and snow burying the already low vegetation, making the entire space silent and monotonous.

Su Ming dismantled the ship's superstructure, lowered a wide gangplank at the bow, and allowed the engine to drive from the deck onto the ice and onto the shore.

A large number of zombies began their work. Under Yunier's command, they unloaded the supplies and equipment that needed to be taken from the ship's hold. Every time Su Ming assembled a wagon, Yunier would direct the zombies to fill it, number it, and then drag it ashore.

Qi Luo listlessly maintained her aura of dedication, relieving Su Ming of some of the pressure, while Hanster and Zi Jin checked and verified the items.

Su Ming glanced at his wristwatch; there were still eight hours until nightfall. This was a specially customized adventure watch; although its positioning and navigation functions were unusable, it still retained many practical features. He also loaded his custom-designed otherworldly calendar; the current date was December 5th, Star Calendar 272.

"We need to hurry, we must complete the road test today!" Su Ming couldn't help but feel anxious.

"Relax, we can do it," Violet said, clasping her hands together and breathing warm air into them. It was warm inside the cabin; she couldn't stand being outside.

Su Ming slapped his forehead, had the skeleton bring two bags, and handed one to the girl, saying, "I prepared this for you, I was so busy I forgot."

Zijin took the package and opened it. Inside were a thick cashmere scarf, a woolen hat with ear flaps, and a pair of gloves made of the same material. "Why is it white?" she asked, clearly dissatisfied with the color.

“The snowy environment is good for concealment,” Su Ming replied. The forbidden magic cloak was also white, and together with these other items, it was a perfect ghillie suit.

"Then why did you even ask me about my favorite color?" Violet muttered, putting on her gloves. They were indeed warm, and more convenient for movement than the leather gloves Hansster wore.

"The lining is purple," Su Ming replied. He put on his matching three-piece suit and immediately felt much warmer.

Zijin suddenly took off her gloves, pulled a pendant from her clothes, untied it, and tossed it to Su Ming.

"What will you use if I give it to you?" Su Ming asked, catching the pendant which was still warm from his body.

“It was originally made for you. I’m just wearing it to charge it,” Violet explained. “This pendant is engraved with ‘Hyperbole’ and ‘Refractive’ techniques, making it suitable for camouflage in the snow.”

As expected, the sixth brother shared the same view. Whether or not to kill the enemy is not important; hiding and securing an invincible position is the key.

****
Everyone continued working. As each carriage was loaded with goods and towed away from the ship, Su Ming began to deal with the remaining parts of the White Triangle.

Most of the bone needs to be preserved, as do the biomass boilers, steam power plants, and propellers used for power generation, as well as equipment that is not currently in use, such as sonar and anti-roll devices.

The Youth Civilization ship was re-equipped with a land-based radar, while all the original sea and air radars were retained.

What Su Ming was most reluctant to part with was the Mk71 heavy artillery. Although he could find a way to reduce the weight, the height of more than ten meters made it impossible for Su Ming to change it. The vehicle-mounted weapon of the Youth Civilization had to find another way.

Otherwise, without the truth in hand, one would lack the confidence to "speak of civilization," and this train would be far from living up to its name.

Then there's the large amount of material; only a portion will be brought ashore this time. Su Ming packed these things up, sealed them with bone, and sank them to the bottom of the water.

Violet selected twenty zombies to accompany her, while the rest jumped into the cold sea and went into hibernation.

During the clearing process, a stiffened corpse was found on the ship. Su Ming thought for a moment before remembering that this was Seneca, whom he had long forgotten.

As for the murderer, judging from the horseshoe-shaped mark on his head, it's quite difficult to guess.

"This man has done too many bad things," Zi Jin explained. "Qi Luo dealt with him on her very first day here."

"The legend of the unicorn is right about one thing: a hatred of evil." Su Ming sighed.

The splashing sounds ceased, and the water became still. In the cold wind, thin ice began to reappear.

"See you in a while," Su Ming said goodbye to the things. He placed a radio beacon on the shore. It had a six-month standby time and would be activated upon receiving a signal from the wristwatch, providing directional guidance with an effective range of tens of kilometers.

This was done to prevent them from losing their hiding place on the way back. The snowfield is all white, making it extremely easy to get lost. And whether the snow gets thicker or the ice and snow melt, it will seriously affect the memory and recognition of the terrain.

****
On the coast, the Youth Civilization Team was assembled, with two locomotives and sixty carriages lined up in a straight line on the snow.

The first locomotive is facing forward, while the second locomotive is facing backward. The two steam locomotives are placed end to end, working in a double-unit coupled mode.

The boiler and chimney of the Qianjin-type steam locomotive are located at the front, the driver's cab is in the middle and rear, and then the tender car. After being connected end-to-end, the two locomotives share the tender car, and there is no boiler exhaust obstruction between the driver's cabs.

The original five pairs of driving wheels at the bottom of each locomotive were replaced with ratchet wheels, which were significantly widened and wrapped with deep-toothed tracks made primarily of bone, forming a track wheel system.

This is the only option left; no matter how you modify ordinary wheels, they will inevitably sink in the snow.

"The boiler pressure is within the standard range, the entire system is normal, and the combustion in the firebed is normal." Su Ming boarded the No. 1 locomotive to conduct a final inspection.

"The same here, everything is normal." Zi Jin was in charge of the second locomotive and was operating it from the driver's cab.

Driving a steam locomotive is an extremely complex task. Fortunately, with modern boilers, most of the work is now handled by industrial control computers. Otherwise, constantly adjusting the water, coal, fire, and steam would definitely kill Su Ming.

A crew that hasn't undergone training and developed a tacit understanding with each other can't operate this thing properly.

"Everyone put on your headphones," Su Ming said. He adjusted the headset and tested the sound. "Ahem, locomotive one, brake in operation; locomotive two, coupling mode."

Given the noise of the steam locomotive, Su Ming didn't expect everyone to be able to speak normally.

"Received!" Hanster operated vehicle number one as instructed, while Black Skull piloted vehicle number two.

Yunier put on the earphones, somewhat surprised by the small device. She couldn't resist pressing the call button, but didn't know what to say. Finally, for some inexplicable reason, she meowed.

Everyone laughed, and she covered her face, blushing deeply.

Because the chassis structure of the carriages was removed and replaced with sleds, the train body no longer has brakes; only the two steam locomotives have braking capabilities.

After switching to the mode of locomotive number two, control of the public systems, including the brakes, was centralized to locomotive number one.

"Yunier, inspect the equipment," Su Ming said.

"Ah good!"

Yunier immediately checked the boiler's pressure, water level, combustion chamber temperature, and other parameters. Although the control system relied on electronic sensors to read data, the equipment also maintained a separate set of mechanical readings. After completing her inspection, Yunier confirmed that both sets of readings matched.

After checking the levels of each lubricating oil, she finally went to the connection between the two locomotives and checked the valves and pressure gauges of the braking system to confirm that the compressed air system was connected properly.

“No problem!” she reported to Su Ming.

“These tasks need to be carried out regularly, not only before starting the car, but also during operation,” Su Ming instructed Yunier. “In addition, we need to pay attention to the coal reserves in the coal cars and the water usage in the water tanks.”

"Ok!"

****
The unicorn ran into the driver's cab of locomotive number two, very disgruntled, "You guys really are hiding in warm places!"

It was not only warm next to the two large boilers, but the group was also dressed in only a single layer of clothing.

"This looks so fun, I want to try it too!" She pushed the black skull aside.

Su Ming saw this scene on the monitor and felt somewhat helpless. However, Qi Luo had a very strong learning ability, and she had been observing everything from the sidelines for some time, clearly having coveted it for a long time.

"Be serious, everyone's a beginner with this, figuring it out." Su Ming texted. "Also, put on your headphones."

"Don't worry at all, I never hold you back!" Qi Luo said confidently. She put on her headphones, pulled up a high stool, sat in the driver's seat, and gripped the handlebars. "I'm ready, give the order, Commander!"

Su Ming operated the electronic control panel for a few moments, switching the boiler systems of the two locomotives to linkage mode.

"Elisa, I'm in control of both boilers now."

“Okay.” Violet left the boiler control panel of locomotive number two and moved to the alchemy control panel to begin monitoring and adjusting the operation of the magic circle.

"Number one, number two, valve one-quarter, handle back 45%."

The valve is the accelerator, and the lever is equivalent to a gear shifter, also known as the cylinder deactivation ratio. Pulling the lever back moves the cylinder backward, and the deeper you pull it, the higher the gear.

Steam rushed into the pistons, and the two locomotives started moving simultaneously. The front locomotive lurched backward while the rear locomotive lurched forward, causing them to collide. Everyone staggered and nearly fell over.

"Handle in zero position!" Su Ming hurriedly shouted, and the drivers on both sides quickly disengaged the power.

Qi Luo burst into laughter. The two motorcycles, their tails connected, collided as they reversed simultaneously. Su Ming had forgotten this; they should have one driven forward while the other reversed.

"I'm a newbie, be lenient," Su Ming said sheepishly, then threatened Qi Luo, "If you laugh again, you won't get your midnight snack tonight!"

The unicorn immediately stopped laughing and its face tightened.

(End of this chapter)